Spinach Quiche Recipe

This spinach quiche recipe is infinitely adaptable. You can make it with fresh or frozen spinach, use different sorts of cheeses and add bacon or cubed ham for extra substance. You can even bake it without the pastry bottom for a crustless spinach quiche.

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Quiche is one of the easiest and most adaptable French recipes you are likely to find. If you are new to quiche making, be sure to consult how to make quiche for some general tips for making a successful quiche. If you have your own idea for what you want to put in your tart, have a look at this basic quiche recipe, which will give you tips for proportions for the various ingredients.

You can either layer the ingredients in this spinach cheese quiche to get an effect like I did in the photo, or mix the filling ingredients together for a more homogenous effect. As always in keeping with this site's theme, th spinach quiche recipe calls for a prefab pie crust, but go ahead and make your own if you wish.

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Quiche aux épinards

• 1 rolled unsweetened pie crust
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained - or 1 pound fresh spinach, cleaned and torn in small pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups crème fraîche (or heavy cream, half and half, or milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup shredded gruyère cheese (or substitute)

Begin by blind baking the crust. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Fit the crust to a 10 inch tart pan, cutting off the excess with a rolling pin. Prick the bottom of the crust in about 20 places with the tines of a fork and place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes. Once the crust is well chilled, remove it from the freezer and immediately place in the hot oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook stirring occasionally until the onion softens - about five minutes. Add the thawed and drained spinach (or torn fresh spinach)and cook just until the spinach wilts and any liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche, salt, pepper, and nutmeg just until homogenous. Stir in the cheese and cooled spinach and pour the mixture into the cooled tart crust. Alternatively, you can layer the spinach and cheese in the tart crust before pouring the egg mixture on top.

Bake in 375°F oven for 40 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

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Variations

Ham or bacon: Spinach goes great with either cubed ham or bits of bacon. Be sure to cook the bacon before adding it to the quiche.

Cheese: Don't hesitate to try something different - feta, cheddar, munster, parmesan, cottage cheese or whatever you think sounds good.

Crustless: If you are going to make a crustless quiche, oil the tart pan before proceeding with the rest of the spinach quiche recipe.

Other additions: Mix in 1 teaspoon of dried dill or sage or a handful of toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts for a slightly different flavor.

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